Corpse Groom
by Shadowfang14
Summary: A genderflipped Total Drama version of Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.
1. Cast List

**A/N**: _Hello, readers. So, yeah, I'm writing a genderbent Total Drama version of Corpse Bride. Haven't actually started writing on the actual story itself, gonna have to go back and rewatch the original movie first, so until then, here's a list of who's who. I promise to submit the actual first chapter soon!_

**Cast**:

Victor-Gwen

Victoria-Duncan

Emily-Trent

Lord Barkis-Courtney

Mr. Van Dort-Chris

Mrs. Van Dort-Blaineley

Mr. Everglot-Alejandro

Mrs. Everglot-Heather (Just pretend that she and Alejandro are older for the sake of the story)

Maggot-LeShawna

Black Widow-Noah

Pastor Galswells-Chef

Bonejangles-Izzy

Mrs. Plum-DJ

Elder Gutknecht-Geoff

Paul the Head Waiter-Lindsay

General Bonesapart-Cody

British Gentleman Skeleton-Harold

Town Crier-Beth

Mayhew-Ezekiel

Scraps-Angus and Vampyra (Gwen's lizards)


	2. An Arranged Marriage

**Disclaimer**: _I own neither Corpse Bride nor the Total Drama series. If I DID own the Total Drama series, the Duncney pairing would have never come to be._

**Chapter One-An Arranged Marriage**

It is a gray, gloomy day in Victorian England. A pale, teal-haired young woman, Gwen, sat at her desk, working diligently as she drew a moth in her sketchbook. Satisfied with her work, she put the book and quill away, staring out the window. She then stood up and opened the window, releasing the moth and watching it fly away.

The moth flew through the city, its white color a shocking contrast among the different shades of gray that the city seems to be painted. It flew around a couple of men who were chopping up fish for Gwen's parents, who work as fishmongers, and past a couple other men, briefly passing in front of a tan-skinned young woman with a stuck-up, somewhat sinister smile on her face.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" A girl's voice suddenly called. A short, bespectacled young girl with braces and brown hair half pulled up in a ponytail walked by, ringing a bell. "Ten minutes to go 'til Stoss' wedding rehearsal!" The tan girl from earlier, Courtney stopped suddenly, staring in surprise, until the moth flew in front of her face. With a look of disdain, she swatted at it until it flew off, then looked at the two butchers, one of whom climbed onto a wagon. The young man, Ezekiel let out a nasty cough as he rode off, almost running over an old woman. Ezekiel just kept on coughing as he arrived at the Stoss' house, where Gwen was nervously looking out her window. The door opened and Gwen's parents, Blaineley and Chris, walked outside.

"It's a beautiful day!" Blaineley sang.

"It's a rather nice day," Chris agreed.

"A day for a glorious wedding!" Blaineley sang, fanning herself.

"A rehearsal, my dear, to be perfectly clear!" Chris corrected her, putting a shawl over his wife's shoulders.

"A rehearsal for a glorious wedding!" Blaineley sang with gusto as she and Chris walked down the steps to their carriage.

"Assuming nothing happens that we really don't know," Chris added.

"That nothing unexpected interferes with the show." Blaineley shot a meaningful glare at Ezekiel, who took off his coat so that they could cross a puddle. The couple then sang together;

"And that's why everything, every last little thing, every single tiny microscopic thing must go..."

"According to plan!" Blaineley sang.

"Our daughter will be married!" Chris sang, pulling on a poster for his business, so that it spun upwards, showing the window.

"According to plan!" Blaineley followed suit, revealing another window.

"And our family carried!" Chris then joined his wife in a duet, as they sang together

"Elevated to the heights of society!" They started doing a little waltz right there in the street, Blaineley singing

"To the costumed balls!"

"In the hallowed halls!"

"Rubbing elbows with the finest!"

"And having crumpets with her highness!" Chris did a mock bow, both him and Blaineley unaware that Courtney was secretly watching them.

"We'll be there! We'll be seen! Having tea with the queen! We'll forget everything...that we've ever ever been!" Blaineley did a little spin in front of Ezekiel, looking at him disdainfully one last time before walking up the stairs and into the carriage. "Where's Gwen?" She asked, not seeing her daughter. "We might be late!" As Chris climbed in with her, another couple was watching them with opera glasses from a house across the street.

"Fish merchants!" The woman, Heather said with disgust. She then started to sing "It's a terrible day!"

"Now don't be that way," her husband, Alejandro, chimed in.

"It's a terrible day for a wedding!"

"It's a sad, sad state of affairs we're in." Alejandro agreed as he and his wife stepped away from the window.

"That has led to this ominous wedding!" Heather put her hand to her head dramatically as Alejandro sang

"How could our family have come to this?!"

"To marry off our son to the noveau riches?"

"They're so common!" Heather whined.

"So coarse!" Alejandro agreed.

"Oh, it couldn't be worse!"

"Couldn't be worse? I'm afraid I disagree." Alejandro walked/span over to a safe, where he continued "They could be land-rich bankrupt aristocracy without a penny to their name. Just like you and me!" He swung the door open, revealing nothing inside but dust and a few spiderwebs.

"Oh dear." Heather said, running her finger through the thick dust. As a maid came to clean out the inside of the safe, Heather and Alejandro continued to sing as Alejandro closed the empty safe and the family's other servants put a giant portrait of him over it.

"And that's why everything, every last little thing, every single tiny microscopic little thing must go...!"

"According to plan!" Heather sang.

"Our son will wed!" Alejandro sang as he and his wife passed by portraits of various family members.

"According to plan!"

"And our family led!" Alejandro and Heather started to sing together again

"From the depths of deepest poverty!"

"To the noble realm!" Heather sang on her own.

"Of our ancestry!" Alejandro and Heather finally stopped in front of a portrait of their son, Duncan.

"And who would've guessed in a million years, that our son, with the face..."

"Of an otter in disgrace." Alejandro sang rather bluntly.

"Would provide our tickets to our rightful place?" As Alejandro and Heather sang together, Duncan rolled his eyes as he was being fitted for his wedding jacket. He was just glad that he wasn't a girl, so he wouldn't have to be forced into a corset.

"Hey, Lightning?" He asked the tailor. "What if this doesn't work out? What if this girl and I don't like each other?" Heather snorted as she and her husband appeared in Duncan's doorway.

"As if that has anything to do with marriage!" The dark-haired woman laughed. "Do you think your father and I 'like' each other?" Duncan arched his eyebrow, shrugging.

"Maybe a little?"

"Of course not!" his parents said in unison, glaring at each other before walking off. Duncan rolled his eyes again, amazed that two people who obviously hated each other had been married for so long without killing each other.

* * *

Back at the Stoss mansion, Gwen came down the stairs and joined her parents in the carriage.

"You've certainly hooked a winner this time, Gwen!" Chris complimented his daughter as they took off.

"Now, all you have to do is reel him in!" Blaineley said, clenching her hand into a fist.

"I'm already reeling, Mother." Gwen said. "Shouldn't Duncan Libertine be marrying a...Lady or something?"

"Oh, nonsense!" Blaineley snorted, fanning herself again and patting her hair into place. "We're every bit as good as the Libertines! I always knew I deserved better than a fish merchant's life."

"But I've never even spoken to him!" Gwen protested.

"Well, at least we have that in our favor." Blaineley said rather callously. Outside, Ezekiel started coughing again.

"Ezekiel! Silence that blasted coughing!" Gwen just sighed, defeated. Her parents were determined to get her married off to Duncan Libertine, regardless of how she felt, just to increase their rank in society.

_This is gonna be fun._ She thought sarcastically.

**A/N**: _Yeah, that's right, Courtney is gonna be Lord Barkis in this. So for any Courtney fans reading this, you might want to find another story. Probably shoulda mentioned that in the first chapter... :/ Oh well. BTW, what do you think of Duncan and Gwen's last names in this? Hope they don't sound too stupid._


	3. Gwen and Duncan

**Disclaimer**: _I own neither Corpse Bride nor Total Drama, and I never will. *Cries*_

**Chapter Two-Duncan and Gwen**

At the Libertines' mansion, servants were busy with cleaning, getting the place spic and span before the Stoss' arrived. Alejandro and Heather stood at the top of the stairs, wearing their usual sour expressions.

"Marriage is a partnership," Heather started, "a little tit for tat." She stood on tiptoes to pat Alejandro's head as she continued, "You'd think a lifetime watching _us_ might have taught him that! Might have taught him that!" This last part she sang as she and her husband descended down the long flight of stairs.

"Everything must be perfect!" Alejandro sang, and Heather soon joined in

"Everything must be perfect! Everything must be perfect, perfect!" Outside, the Stoss' had arrived, and Chris and Blaineley started singing, unknowingly in sync with the Libertines

"That's why everything, every last everything, every single tiny microscopic little thing must go...ACCORDING TO PLAN!" Blaineley moved some of Gwen's hair out of her face, making sure her daughter looked decent before pulling her up the stairs. Chris rang the bell, and the Libertines' butler opened the door, revealing the three of them to the Libertines. Blaineley continued to fuss over Gwen before realizing that the door was open. Laughing nervously, she turned and led the way into the mansion.

"Oh, would you look at this! Such grandeur, such impeccable tastes! Beautiful, isn't it?" The butler, Justin, sniffed the air as the family walked in, smelling the fishy odor about them. Letting out a

"Hmpf!" similar to his masters, he closed the door behind them.

"It's not as big as our place, dear." Chris pointed out. "But not shabby, really, it's just..."

"Shut up." Blaineley said, hitting him with her fan.

"Lord and Lady Libertine, Mr. and Mrs. Stoss." Justin introduced them.

"Why, you must be Sir Duncan!" Blaineley said to Alejandro, trying to flatter him. "Yes, I must say, you don't look a day over twenty. No. Oh, yes." Alejandro raised an eyebrow, then turned to his wife.

"Smile darling, smile." Heather forced herself to smile as she said

"Well, hello! What a pleasure. Welcome to our home!"

"Oh, thank you!" Blaineley gushed, fanning herself again.

"We'll be taking tea in the west drawing room." Heather continued. She and Alejandro walked off, and Heather motioned for the Stosses to follow them.

"Oh, do come, it's right this way." The family obliged, and Blaineley, doing a little more kissing up, said

"Oh, I do _love _what you've done with the place. Who is your decorator?" Gwen reluctantly followed her parents, rolling her eyes. Ignoring their idle chatter, her fingers brushed against something. Gwen came back to reality as she noticed that the 'something' was a piano. Looking cautiously ahead, she saw that her parents and the Libertines had already disappeared into the drawing room, closing the door behind them.

_Heh, they probably won't even notice I'm gone. _Looking back down at the piano, Gwen started to play a few notes. She had always loved playing piano ever since she was a little girl. Aside from drawing, it was one of the few things that gave her any joy in life. Despite herself, she let a small smile cross her face as she got lost in the music. Gwen looked up when she thought she heard someone, but quickly went back to playing when she was certain that there was nobody there. After a while, she relaxed enough to let herself sit on the bench. Gwen played a melancholy tune, half-closing her eyes as her slender fingers danced over the keys.

Upstairs, Duncan was whittling at a piece of wood when he heard the piano music coming from downstairs.

"Huh?" His curiosity getting the better of him, he hid the stick and his knife in a drawer before walking out to the stairs. He was greeted with the sight of a teal-haired, black-clothed girl sitting at his family's piano. Duncan walked downstairs, Gwen too busy concentrating on the piano to hear him. Finally, Duncan reached the bottom floor and walked up right behind her.

"All this time, and I never knew you played piano." He smirked. Gwen let out a startled cry and stumbled off the bench, finally noticing him. In her haste, she almost knocked over a vase that was on the instrument, but managed to catch it before it fell.

"Sorry." she said sheepishly.

"I gotta say, you play real nice, pasty. How come you never told me that you knew how to play?"

"It didn't seem important." Gwen said, smirking back.

While she and Duncan acted like they didn't know each other in front of their parents, the truth was that they had known each other for almost a year. It had all started out some months back, when Gwen had been out in town, sketching the church. A strong wind had blown her drawing away, and she was forced to chase it. Duncan, who had snuck out for a walk, caught the paper and was impressed with what he saw. When Gwen caught up with him, he had complimented her on her drawing. The two talked a little, found out that they had quite a few things in common (namely, meddlesome overbearing parents who were trying to control their futures), and formed a bond. Since then, the two of them had snuck out to see each other several times, becoming fast friends.

Back in the present, Gwen noticed that she had accidentally knocked over the bench as well, and bent down to pick it up.

"Sorry." Gwen apologized again. "I'm not normally this clumsy."

"Forget about it." Duncan said, then looked back at the piano. "My parents never let me learn. They said that music isn't something a man should worry about. Too girly."

"So..." Gwen started nervously. "I guess tomorrow we're going to be m-m..." Try as she might, she just couldn't get the word out, and a furious blush crossed her cheeks.

"M-m..."

"Married?" Duncan suggested. His cocky smirk made Gwen blush even redder.

"Yeah...married."

"You know, it's weird." Duncan said, sitting at the piano. "I've never really thought of myself as the marrying type. But if I ever _did _get married, I'd want it to be with a girl I really loved, one who loved _me _back." Now it was his turn to blush as he realized what he had just said, and how out of character it was for him.

"St-Stupid, right?"

"I don't think so." Gwen said genuinely, smiling at him. She sat down next to him, and this time she _did _knock over the vase. The water spilled out, and Gwen stood up to fix it.

"Sorry!" she apologized for the third time that day, cursing her uncharacteristic clumsiness.

"You know what, here, keep it." Duncan said nonchalantly, handing her the flower. Gwen accepted it, her heart glowing, though she didn't know why. Suddenly, their little moment was interrupted by Heather walking in on them.

"What impropriety is this?!" she demanded. "You shouldn't be alone together! Here it is, one minute before five, and you're not at the rehearsal!" She shot dirty looks at her son and future daughter-in-law, then turned around.

"Pastor Hatchet is waiting! Come at once!" Duncan glowered as he and Gwen followed her.

_Way to kill the mood, Mother._

**A/N**: _Yeah, one change I made to the story is that Duncan and Gwen are already friends in this story. I thought it would make it better so that Duncan would be more worried for Gwen when she disappears later and whatnot. Now, you may be wondering 'If they're friends, then why were they so against marrying each other?' Well, think about it-if your parents wanted to marry you off to ANYONE, even your best friend, just for their own selfish gain, wouldn't you be upset? Plus, they don't like each other like that...yet :)_


	4. Rehearsal Gone Wrong

**Disclaimer**: _I own nothing..._

**Chapter Three-Wedding Rehearsal Gone Wrong**

Three hours later, Gwen, Duncan, and their parents were in the hall, going through the rehearsal.

"Miss Stoss, from the beginning. Again!" Pastor Hatchet barked impatiently. "With this hand, I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine." He shot a glare at Gwen that rivaled that of her mother. "Let's try it again!"

"Yes! Yes, sir." Gwen looked down at the floor, embarrassed, and then raised the candle she was holding.

"With this candle;" she tried to light it on a larger candle, but it wouldn't light, much to her frustration. She tried again "This candle..." Still, it didn't light. "This candle..." Nothing.

"Should I get up there and do it for her?" Blaineley asked, just loud enough for Gwen to hear.

"Don't get all aflutter, dear." Chris advised her. Gwen nervously looked from her own parents to the Libertines, who were glaring at her like she was something nasty they had just stepped in (which, in their minds, she probably was). Against her will, the poor girl's nerves were getting the better of her. She looked back at Pastor Hatchet, who cleared his throat. Gwen felt like she was backed into a corner, with no way out. To her relief, she noticed that the stupid candle finally got lit. She allowed a small smile to cross her face as she said, with renewed confidence

"With this candle," she let out a breath, and the candle blew out. She should've known it was too good to be true. Blaineley groaned behind her.

"CONTINUE!" Pastor Hatchet roared. The doorbell rang, providing a temporary relief.

"Get the door, Justin." Alejandro ordered his butler.

"Let's just pick it up at the candle bit." The pastor sighed as Justin walked up to his master.

"A Lady Courtney, sir." he said, handing him a card. Alejandro grimaced as the lady in question walked up next to him.

"I haven't a head for dates." she said. "Apparently I'm a day early for the ceremony."

"Is she from your side of the family?" Alejandro asked Heather.

"I can't recall." Heather answered. She snapped her fingers. "Justin, a seat for Lady Courtney!" Justin obliged, and Courtney seated herself, looking particularly pompous as she looked at the would-be newlyweds.

"_Do_ carry on."

"Let's try it again, shall we Miss Stoss?" Pastor Hatchet asked, his tone indicating that he was getting sick of wasting his time with this girl.

"Yes, yes sir. Certainly." Gwen said as Duncan lit her candle with his own, doing her a favor.

"Right."

"Right." Gwen repeated. Suddenly noticing that her candle was in the wrong hand, she let out a start, almost dropping it before tossing it to the correct hand. "Oh! Right! With this, with this..."

"Hand!" Pastor Hatchet said, feeling like he was about to get a migraine.

"With this hand," Gwen put Duncan's hand in her own, and the two of them walked up to the candle. "I will..." She accidentally walked too far, and bumped into the pulpit.

"Three steps! Three!" Pastor Hatchet shouted. "Don't you know how to count?! Don't you want to get married, Miss Stoss?!"

"No, no!" Gwen shouted.

"You don't?" Duncan asked, secretly feeling hurt, though he didn't know why.

"No!" Gwen answered, then suddenly realized what she had said. "I mean, no, I do not _not _want to be married...I mean, I want to..." Gwen was unable to continue. Pastor Hatchet hit her on the head with his staff, his temper reaching its breaking point.

"Ow!"

"Pay attention! Have you even remembered to bring the ring?!"

"The ring!" Gwen gasped. "Yes, of course!" She pulled the ring out of a pocket in her dress. But then, of course, it slipped out of her fingers and went bouncing along the floor.

"Dropping the ring!" Pastor Hatchet shouted.

"She's dropped the ring!" Blaineley shrieked like a banshee as Gwen went down on her knees to try and grab it.

"This girl doesn't _want _to get married!"

"It's disgraceful!" Alejandro proclaimed as the ring went rolling under his chair.

"Excuse me, sorry!" Gwen said as she ducked down to get it. She then emerged from under the chair, holding the ring up triumphantly.

"Got it!" Behind her, Alejandro let out a startled cry. When Gwen had reached under his legs to grab the ring, she had accidentally left the candle behind, and one of his pants legs had caught fire.

"Out of the way, you ninny!" Heather hissed at Gwen, pushing her out of the way to try and help her husband. She tried stomping it out, however, she accidentally stomped on Alejandro's leg. To make matters worse, Gwen's parents had gotten in on the action too, Blaineley using her fan to try to put the flames out.

"Oh, I hope it doesn't stain!"

"Stop fanning it!" Alejandro shouted at her. Pastor Hatchet groaned and closed his Bible, rolling his eyes at the madness that was going on.

"Get a bucket! Get a bucket!" Blaineley shouted as Heather kept trying to stomp out the fire.

"On the way, dear!" Chris said, hurrying off. Courtney then held out the goblet of wine that was to be used for the ceremony, dumping its contents on Alejandro's pant leg. Cocky smirk on her face, she tossed the goblet away, satisfied. Justin, who was nearby, caught it on a tray, and Blaineley, Alejandro, and Heather stared at her, impressed.

"ENOUGH!" Pastor Hatchet roared, having finally reached his breaking point. "This wedding cannot take place until she is properly prepared!" Everyone (except Duncan) glared at Gwen as Pastor Hatchet rounded on her.

"Young lady, _learn. Your. Vows._" Gwen looked from him to Mr. and Mrs. Libertine, who were looking at her with such hatred that she could practically feel heat radiating off them to her own parents, who likewise looked angry and disappointed. She couldn't believe everything was going wrong like this. All for a stupid wedding rehearsal she didn't even want any part of. Feeling behind her, she grabbed the doorknob and turned it, opening the door and running out, away from everyone. Duncan looked at her with concern, while Courtney rubbed her fingers together behind him, smug smile still in place.

"Well, she's quite the catch, isn't she?" She asked. Duncan looked at her, then back at the door, hoping that Gwen would be alright.

**A/N**: _Poor Gwen :( Well, the Corpse Groom himself finally shows up in the next chapter, so stay tuned! And, as always, leave a review!_


	5. A Grave Misunderstanding

**A/N**: _I am SO sorry this chapter took so long, guys! I just got back to college a couple days ago, and my dorm doesn't have internet yet-I had to write this in the library! Plus, even if I _did _have internet, I've had a crapton of stuff to do, and have had to run around everywhere to get it done. Again, sorry :( So, without further ado, here's the next chapter._

**Disclaimer**: _Me: Do I have to?! Tim Burton and Teletoon: YES! Me: Fine then. (Talking super fast) Corpse Bride and Total Drama belong to their respective creators, and I am but a lowly, insignificant insect who is a fan. (Speaking normally again) Happy?! Tim Burton and Teletoon: Yeah. Me: I hate you._

**Chapter Four-A Grave Misunderstanding**

Gwen stood on a bridge outside, looking sadly at the flower Duncan gave her. A miserable sigh escaped her throat as she thought of what a fool she'd made of herself back in the mansion. It took all her willpower to keep herself from crying as she remembered the looks on everyone's faces.

_This isn't fair! _She thought miserably. _I didn't even want to get married in the first place! Mother and Father don't even care about my happiness! _Gwen had half a mind to go back and tell her parents that to their faces, but she knew that if she did, there'd be hell to pay. They'd probably toss out her art materials, maybe even kick her out into the streets. Also, she really didn't want to cause a scene, especially not in front of Duncan.

"Oh, Duncan." she said sadly, looking at the flower. "He must think I'm such a fool. This day couldn't possibly get any worse." She was suddenly proved wrong as Beth, who was nearby, shouted

"Hear ye, hear ye! Rehearsal suspended since Stoss girl causes chaos! The wedding could be canned! Libertines all riled up after Stoss ruins rehearsal!"

_Of course it could. _Gwen walked off the bridge, walking off into the deep, dark forest.

"A wedding shouldn't be all that difficult!" She said to herself. "It's just a few simple vows!" She held up her right hand. "With this hand, I will take your wine." She sighed sadly. "No." She continued walking, hardly paying any attention to where she was going as she kept trying to memorize her vows. "With this hand, I will cup your...no." She walked up to an old, dead tree. "With this candle, I will...I will...I will...set your father on fire." Finally, she gave up, sitting down on some roots.

"Oh, it's no use!" Reaching inside her breast pocket, she pulled out the flower and ring. She sniffed the flower, and suddenly gained newfound confidence. She _was _going to get this right, not for her gold-digging parents, but for Duncan, to save him from any further embarrassment. She stood back up, putting the flower up again and holding up the ring.

"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine." Smirking a little, she flipped the ring into the air, then caught it. She then walked up to the tree, taking one of the branches in her fingers as she imagined her future in-laws' faces after the wedding.

"Ah, Mr. Libertine, you look handsome this evening!" She then walked over to another tree.

"What's that, Mrs. Libertine? Call you 'Mom'? If you insist, ma'am." She let out a short laugh as she walked back over to the first tree.

"With this candle, I will light your way in darkness! With this ring, I ask you to be mine!" She placed the ring on an upturned root, glowing with determination. Suddenly, a cold breeze started to blow. Gwen turned around to see a bunch of crows on some trees behind her, unaware that the 'roots' in front of her started to move. Suddenly, the 'roots' which were, in fact, actually a bony hand, shot out and grabbed Gwen's arm. The young woman let out a cry of surprise as she felt her arm being pulled down into the ground. She started struggling to pull herself out as the crows cawed some more, some of them flying off. Finally, Gwen managed to pull herself up. However, to her horror, the bony arm was still holding hers, its fingers slightly tightening their grip. She pulled harder, her heart pounding as she tried to get free. She fell backwards, and the arm popped off whatever it was attached to. Gwen pulled it off of herself and tossed it aside, breathing hard. But the horror wasn't over yet.

As the frightened girl watched, the dirt started to rise, and another arm popped out from the ground. A blue-tinted head topped with black hair and a top hat rose from the earth, followed by a black wedding jacket, until the ghastly form of a dead young man outfitted in wedding clothes stood before her. He looked down at Gwen, and opening his mouth, said only two words:

"I do." Gwen let out a terrified scream as he knelt down over her, scrambling backwards before finally managing to pull herself up and run for her life through the dark forest. As she passed by the young man's arm, it started twitching, then flipped itself over, starting to crawl after her. The zombie groom picked the limb up as he started to follow her, putting it back into place. Gwen ran down a hill, almost tripping over her feet, but managing to catch herself.

She looked behind her. He was behind her. Her fear fueled her speed, and she could feel her heart pounding. In her haste, Gwen ran onto a frozen lake, running futilely in place for a few seconds before turning back. The corpse was still after her! She jumped onto the shore, running through into some tree branches. They felt like arms, holding her back, keeping her from escaping. However, Gwen did finally manage to get free, though a piece of her dress was torn as she ran off. She made it to the bridge. Panting heavily, Gwen looked back. The corpse was nowhere to be seen, and Gwen was sure she had left him back in the forest. Feeling relieved, she turned around-only to find herself face-to-face with the specter, his shockingly green eyes staring out at her from a face as cold as death itself. Gwen let out a choked cry, backing away as the corpse walked closer, the crows cawing and flying above them. Finally, the dead young man put his hand on Gwen's shoulders.

"You may kiss the groom." Gwen wasn't sure whether or not it was her imagination, but the world started to spin around her as he said that. The last thing she knew was the young man's cold, dead lips against her own, and then everything went black.

**A/N**: _Well, that was scary. But we all know how the story goes, so don't be too worried for Gwen. And yes, I edited the chase scene somewhat, because I didn't want to make Gwen TOO clumsy. _


	6. The Tale Of the Corpse Groom

**A/N**: _Seriously?! Not ONE review for my last chapter?! Come on guys, I know I haven't updated in a while, but give me _some _love!_

**Disclaimer**: _If I owned either of these, do you honestly think I'd be writing a fanfic?_

**Chapter Five-The Tale Of the Corpse Groom **

Gwen wasn't sure what she expected death to be like. She had thought, at the very least, that once you got to heaven, you spent the rest of eternity floating through the clouds, looking down on the people still on earth.

However, the first thing she was aware of as she came to was that she was lying on her back on a wooden floor, and not on a fluffy cloud. The second thing she was aware of was that she could hear voices speaking above her. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing the corpse from before standing above her, as well as a female skeleton with blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"A new arrival!" the skeleton girl said.

"She must have fainted." The corpse said. He leaned down over Gwen again, except this time his face was filled with concern as he asked

"Are you alright?" He reached his bony hand under her to tilt up her head, and Gwen looked around, bewildered at everything she saw.

"What happened?"

"It looks like we've got ourselves a breather!" The blonde skeleton girl said, as if just realizing that Gwen was alive. She was suddenly pushed out of the way by another, quite large, corpse in an apron. Like the first guy, he had blue skin, though from the look of him, Gwen could tell that he had been dark-skinned in life.

"Does she have a dead sister?" He asked. Another skeleton girl, with black hair pulled up in pigtails, moved in front of him.

"She's soft!" She said, poking at the horrified Gwen, who started crawling backwards, getting scared all over again.

"A toast, then!" Announced a short skeleton with brown hair and a sword stuck through his ribcage. He clinked his mug against that of a taller skeleton with brown/reddish hair and glasses, and started drinking. The taller skeleton pulled his sword out, catching his drink in his own mug, then drank it himself, the liquid visible through a hole that had been blasted through him, most likely due to a cannon.

"To the newlyweds!" The short skeleton said, before having his sword stuck back in him.

"Newlyweds?" Gwen asked in confusion. The first corpse sighed in happiness.

"In the woods, you said your vows so perfectly!" He showed Gwen the ring she had unwittingly placed on his bony finger while practicing.

"I did?!" Gwen asked in surprise. She then turned around, her eyes surveying every single corpse and skeleton in the place.

"I _did_." She started slapping herself upside the head, determined to wake up from this nightmare she had fallen into. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Excuse me!" A girl's voice suddenly called. "Um, excuse me! Coming through, coming through!" As Gwen watched, an athletic-looking male corpse with chin-length brown hair and brown eyes came through the crowd, carrying a tray with the head of a blonde female corpse with blue eyes. As Gwen watched, the head scuttled off the tray with the help of many little legs, which, she realized with horror, were probably veins.

"My name is Lindsay, the Head Waitress." The head introduced herself. Gwen gasped and pulled herself backwards.

"I'll be creating your wedding feast!" The head continued in a bubbly voice. All of a sudden, the corpse groom's right eye popped out of its socket, revealing a female maggot.

"Wedding feast?!" The maggot asked. "Mmm-mmm, I'm already drooling!" The corpse lifted his hand to cover his now empty eye socket, and laughed

"Sorry, maggots!" Gwen started and accidentally bumped into a muscular female corpse with a black ponytail.

"Hey, watch it!" she threatened. Gwen just kept backing up, her fear taking hold once again.

"Stay back!" She tried to pull the sword out of the small skeleton, Cody, but was unable to. Finally, she resorted to just lifting up the sword, and him with it.

"I've got a...a midget, and I'm not afraid to use him! I want some answers, now! What's going on here?! Where am I?! Who are you?!" She asked, hoping she sounded braver than she felt.

"Well," The 'groom' started, "That's kind of a long story..."

"And what a story it is!" Gwen whipped around to see a skeleton with long red hair and a top hat standing on a stage. "A tragic tale of romance, passion...and murder most foul!"

"This is gonna be good!" Cody said, as if he had heard the story before. Gwen promptly dropped him to the ground as the red-headed skeleton, Izzy, looked at her band.

"Hit it, boys!" The other skeletons started moving up and down, shaking their bones as Izzy played them like instruments as she walked by.

"Hey! Give me a listen, you corpses of cheer! Least those of you who've still got an ear! I'll tell you a tale full of gloom, of our own devilishly handsome corpse groom!" The spotlight focused on the corpse groom himself, who smiled a bit shyly. Gwen watched as the other skeletons started singing

"Die, die, we all pass away. But don't wear a frown, cause it's really okay! And you might try and hide, and you might try and pray, but we all end up the remains of the day!" Gwen tried to sneak off, but the bespectacled skeleton, Harold, grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

"Well, our boy was a stunner known for miles around!" Izzy sang, dancing around the corpse groom, who had joined her on stage. "When a mysterious stranger came into town. She was plenty good-lookin', but down on her cash. And our poor little baby, he fell hard and fast! When his mama said no, he just couldn't cope! So our lovers came up with a plan to elope!"

As Izzy sang, her shadow somehow changed to a living young woman with chin-length hair. The figure was strangely familiar to Gwen, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. She didn't have time to think about it, however, as the skeletons sang again

"Die, die, we all pass away. But don't wear a frown, cause it's really okay! And you might try and hide, and you might try and pray, but we all end up the remains of the day!" Gwen tried to sneak off once again as the skeletons sang, but Izzy grabbed her and did a short dance, after which two other skeletons put their bony arms around her, forcing her to stay put.

Izzy hopped back on stage and continued singing.

"So they conjured up a plan to meet late at night. They told not a soul, kept the whole thing tight. Now his father's wedding suit fit like a glove. You don't need much when you're really in love! Except for a few things, or so I'm told, like the family jewels and a satchel of gold. Then next to the graveyard, by the old oak tree, on a dark foggy night at a quarter to three, he was ready to go, but where was she?"

On the walls, the image of the groom's shadow looked around expectantly by the tree, looking for his love.

"And then?" A corpse with red pigtails and a flower in her hair asked, popping up next to Gwen.

"He waited." Izzy answered.

"And then?" The red-headed corpse, Zoey, asked, joined by DJ the chef, who popped up on Gwen's other side.

"There in the shadows, was it his lady?"

"And then?" Zoey, DJ, and Tyler asked expectantly.

"His heart beat so loud!"

"And then?!" Lindsay the Head Waitress had joined the others, and launched herself into the air, sounding like she was about to burst with anticipation.

"And then baby, everything went black." A large, ominous shadow appeared behind the groom's, and he let out a scream as it enveloped him.

"Now when he opened his eyes, he was dead as dust. His money was missing and his heart was bust. So he made a vow lyin' under that tree, that he'd wait for his true love to come set him free." The spotlight focused once more on the corpse groom, who smiled at Gwen.

"Always waiting for someone to give him a ring! Then out of the blue comes this groovy young thing!" Izzy pushed Gwen forward, and the groom caught her, spinning her around as Izzy finished her song.

"Who vows to free him from his doom! And that's the story of our own corpse groom!" As the skeletons and corpses finished singing, the groom's skeletal arm popped off, once again, attached to Gwen. She pulled it off herself and went into the crowd, pretending to dance along to the music before making yet another attempt to escape. The third time seemed to be the charm, as she was able to run up a flight of a stairs unnoticed by anyone except (unknown to her) the corpse groom.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Izzy sang. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

**A/N**: _Hope you liked it. Now, PLEASE leave a review, por favor._


	7. Lady Courtney's Intervention

**Disclaimer**: _I own nothing, Total Drama and Corpse Bride belong to much more talented people than I can ever hope to be._

**Chapter Six-Lady Courtney's Intervention**

Up in the living world, things weren't going so well since Gwen's disappearance. Ezekiel stood outside by the Stoss' carriage, coughing as horribly as ever. Duncan stood by the window, wondering where Gwen was.

_Wherever she is, I hope she's okay. _

"Duncan, come away from the window!" Heather called. Duncan obliged and walked over to his and Gwen's parents, who were drinking tea in the living room.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be back shortly!" Blaineley tried to assure the Libertines. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter." Alejandro called. The door opened and Courtney walked in, looking as pompous as ever.

"Ah, Lady Courtney!" Heather said. "I trust the room is to your liking?"

"Thank you." Courtney said, a simpering smile on her face. "You're a most gracious hostess." Her smile suddenly disappeared as she walked forward. "Which is why it pains me to be the bearer of such bad news." She leaned closer to Alejandro, who gave her a confused look. Courtney snapped her fingers and Beth walked in.

"Would you care to repeat tonight's headline for us?" Courtney asked. As a force of habit, the bespectacled girl rang her bell, causing everything to rattle as she shouted

"Hear ye, hear ye! Gwen Stoss seen on the bridge this very night in the arms of a mystery man! The dark-haired tempter and Miss Stoss slipped away into the night!" She then stopped ringing her bell and went to a normal tone of voice as she said "And now for the weather. Scattered showers with a..."

"Enough!" Courtney shouted, dropping her calm, collected persona for a second. She quickly composed herself again, though, and dismissed the short girl with a wave of her hand.

"That will be all."

"Mystery man?!" Blaineley said in shock. "She doesn't even know any men!"

"Or so you thought." Courtney purred. She walked over to the doors to leave.

"Do call for me if you need my assistance, in _any _way." This last part she said with a meaningful look at Duncan before making her exit.

"Good heavens Alejandro, what should we do?!" Heather moaned dramatically, pulling herself out of her chair.

"Fetch my musket!" Alejandro said fiercely.

"Oh Chris, do something!" Blaineley panicked, genuinely concerned for her daughter's life. Chris stood up and walked over to the other man.

"The town crier probably just had a slow news day!" He insisted, grabbing away Alejandro's musket as Justin handed it to him. "You know how it is, you need a little something to cry about!"

"Regardless," Alejandro started, "we are one bride short for the wedding of our son! Not to mention the...financial implications." This last part he said mostly to himself, looking off to the side with a nervous look.

"This will be a most scandalous embarrassment for us all!" Heather cried.

"Oh, give us a chance to find her!" Blaineley begged her. "We beg of you! Just give us until dawn!"

"Very well." Heather agreed. "Til dawn."

**A/N**: _Damn you, Courtney X( Sorry this is so short, review anyway, please._


	8. A Wedding Present

**Disclaimer**: _I don't own Corpse Bride OR the Total Drama series, okay? Please don't sue me! All I own is...actually, I don't really own anything, I'm a broke college student. I'm the one who should be suing YOU, if you think about it.__  
_

**Chapter Seven-A Wedding Present**

Back in the Netherworld, the corpse groom was still looking for his 'bride'.

"Gwen, where are you?" He asked, walking around town. Inside his head, the maggot, LeShawna, remarked

"If you ask me, your girlfriend's kinda jumpy."

"She's not my girlfriend, she's my wife." The groom reminded her, holding up his bony hand once more to show his wedding ring. He called out once again

"Gwen? Where've you gone?" His eye popped out again as LeShawna came out through his eye socket.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for him!" She laughed.

Nearby, Gwen looked out from behind a cornerstone with a skeletal horse on it. As she made her way out, however, LeShawna saw her from the groom's eyeball.

"There she goes! There she goes!" She shouted. "What're you waiting for?! Go after her, white boy!" The groom popped his eyeball back into its socket, then called out

"Gwen!" For the second time that night, Gwen found herself running from him. She ran past a second hand shop (a stand with literal second hands), and, as the groom passed by, they all pointed to where Gwen had run.

"Thanks." he said gratefully. "Gwen!" Gwen ran by an alley full of coffins and, hearing the groom calling her name again, stepped into one of them, tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes to appear 'dead'. Miraculously, it worked, and the groom didn't even notice her as he walked by.

"Gwen?" Gwen opened her eyes as the corpse groom left, and a spider with a narrow face and dark hair lowered itself next to her.

"Married, huh?" He asked. "I'm a widow. Well, widow_er_, technically..." Gwen and swatted him aside as she ran off. Normally she liked spiders, but not when they could talk.

"Hey, rude!" The spider, Noah, said. Just to spite her, he shouted "She went that way!" Gwen continued running as the groom kept shouting her name. Unfortunately, she ended up running down an alley where he was waiting on the other side.

"Gwen?" Luck was once again on her side, as she managed to avoid catching the groom's eye and continued running. She ran across a blonde corpse with light, wavy hair and gray eyes.

"Please, there's been some mistake!" she pleaded, shaking the dead girl's shoulders. "I'm not dead!" The girl's head fell off, and Gwen let out a cry before resuming running, leaving the girl to sweep up her head like nothing had happened. She then came across a chubby male corpse with glasses and bushy hair.

"Excuse me." he said. Gwen moved to the side, but the corpse moved with her. "Excuse me." he said again. Finally, he split himself in half and both halves said "Excuse me." at the same time, before hopping away.

"Thanks."

"Gwen!" Gwen stopped at a wall in front of her.

"Dead end!" She gasped.

"Gwen! Hello? " Gwen's head whipped around, her eyes wide. "Hello?" Gwen grabbed onto the wall and started to climb up in an attempt to escape. It was kind of hard since she was wearing a dress, but she didn't let that stop her. Finally, she reached the top and grabbed something. That something turned out to be the corpse groom's bone leg, and Gwen gasped as she looked up at him.

"Rude to stare, you know." He smiled down at her before pulling her up over the railing with his skeleton arm. For a dead guy, he sure was strong.

"Isn't the view beautiful?" he asked, looking around at the scenery. "It takes my breath away. Well, if I had any it would." He chuckled, and Gwen stared at him in surprise.

_Just who IS this guy?!_

"Isn't it nice?" the groom asked. He sat down on a bench and motioned for Gwen to sit next to him. Despite herself, she did, staring down at the ground. She then made a decision to get things explained once and for all.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to you, and I want to help, but I need to get home."

"This _is _your home now." The groom said.

"But I don't even know your name!" Gwen insisted.

"Well, that's a _great _way to start a wedding!" LeShawna said inside the groom's head.

"Shut up!" He hissed, putting a hand to his head. When he saw Gwen staring, he just smiled at her again. "It's Trent."

"Trent." Gwen said. At least now she knew his name.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I have something for you!" Trent reached down and pulled a nicely-wrapped box out from under the bench and put it in Gwen's lap.

"It's a wedding present." He whispered. Gwen picked the box up hesitantly and shook it a little, hearing rattling inside. Finally, she lifted up the lid and winced a little as she saw a bunch of little bones inside.

"Um...thanks?" She said as she lifted one of the bones out. Suddenly, the box started to shake. It fell from Gwen's lap and, as she and Trent watched, the bones formed themselves into the skeletons of two little lizards. They looked up at Gwen, wagging their tails like dogs. The two then crawled up to her, tiny collars in their mouths. Gwen took the collars and looked at the names on them.

"Angus? Vampyra?" she asked, suddenly recognizing the dead reptiles. The lizard skeletons let out happy sounds and jumped onto Gwen's dress, climbing up to her lap. Gwen let out a squeal of happiness, not even caring that her beloved pets were nothing but bones now.

"My lizards! Angus and Vampyra!" She scratched their heads and Trent laughed. Gwen put their collars around their necks, her previous fear gone.

"Oh, Angus and Vampyra! Who're my good lizards?" The lizards jumped off their mistress' dress and walked around, acting like dogs.

"I knew you'd be happy to see them." Trent chuckled.

"Who're my good lizards?" Gwen cooed again. "Sit! Sit, guys!" The lizards obliged. "Roll over! Roll over!" Angus and Vampyra rolled over, their heads staying in place as they did so. "Play dead!" The lizards just stared at Gwen.

"Oh, right. Sorry." They jumped up onto her dress again, and Trent scratched Angus' head as the lizard crawled over to him.

"They're really cute."

"You should've seen them with scales." Gwen remarked. "Mother never approved of my lizards. Then again, she never approved of anything." A dark look came over her face.

"Do you think she would've approved of me?" Trent asked curiously. Gwen chuckled darkly. The very first time she'd seen Trent, she'd run off screaming, she could only imagine how her mother would act.

"You're lucky you'll never get to meet her." She remarked. Suddenly, an idea came to her. Maybe, if she played her cards right, she could get Trent to take her back to the Land of the Living.

"Actually, now that you mention it, I think you should." Gwen remarked, lowering Angus and Vampyra to the ground. "In fact, now that we're...you know, married, I think you should definitely meet my parents. We should go and see them right now!" She stood up and walked off a little, and Trent pulled himself off the bench.

"That's a good idea." He agreed. "Where are they buried?"

"Well...they're not from around here." Gwen informed him.

"Where are they, then?" Trent asked.

"Well," Gwen started, "They're..." She pointed upwards, and Trent got the idea.

"Oh-they're still alive."

"I'm afraid so." Gwen answered.

"Well, that is a problem." Trent acknowledged. The sound of Vampyra's screeching suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"What's that, Vampyra?" Trent asked, like he could understand her. Angus walked up next to her and screeched something himself.

"Nah, we couldn't do _that_." Trent responded, kneeling down on one knee. Both lizards hissed and screeched, and Trent pulled himself up.

"Well, when you put it like that..."

"What?" Gwen asked, confused as to what they were all talking about.

"Elder Geoff." Trent answered, looking at her seriously.

**A/N**: _Been looking forward to writing this chapter. I couldn't wait to introduce Scraps-I mean, the lizards, into the story. I know it's kinda weird to have them act like dogs, but a lot of animals act like that in fiction, for example, Shep in George Of the Jungle. Plus, I thought it was funny XD And for that one reviewer who thought that Trent and Duncan's roles should've been switched, I get what you're saying, but I'm a Gwuncan shipper, and wanted Gwen and Duncan to get together in the end. Now, with all that said, review, please!_


	9. Jacuzzi

**Disclaimer**: _I own Total Drama and Corpse Bride, alright. They're ALL mine. Which is why it makes PERFECT sense for me to combine them into one and write a story about it on a FANFICTION website._

**Warning: OOCness, and minor swearing**

**Chapter Eight-Jacuzzi**

Thunder boomed as Trent and Gwen, and the lizards (who were riding on her shoulders), climbed up a long, spiraling staircase. Gwen had her doubts when Trent brought her to this dark, creepy tower, but if this 'Elder Geoff' person could get her back to her own world, at least for a little while, she didn't care.

"Elder Geoff?" Trent called as they reached the top of the tower. "Are you there? Hello?" Gwen looked around. The top floor was piled with old, dusty books.

"Is anyone home? Hello?" As she walked, Gwen accidentally knocked over a pile of books, startling some ravens nearby, one of which flew into a hanging lantern, causing it to swing dangerously to and fro.

Unseen to Gwen and Trent, a bony hand reached out and...caught the lantern. An aged skeleton with a safari hat and blond hair coughed as he looked down at the young couple.

"Oh, there you are!" Trent said, recognizing him.

"Trent! Dude, there you are!" The old skeleton, who Gwen realized must have been Elder Geoff, said.

"I brought my wife, Gwen." Trent said, introducing her.

"Huh? Wife?" The skeleton said, taking off his hat to scratch his cranium. Gwen, thinking that he was hard of hearing, cupped her hands over her mouth and called up

"It's nice to meet you!"

"We need to go up." Trent informed him. "Upstairs? To visit the Land Of the Living."

"Land Of the Living?" Elder Geoff asked as he walked down to them.

"Come on, Elder Geoff!" Trent begged him.

"Why go up there when people are dying to get down here?" The old skeleton laughed at his own joke, causing him to cough a little more.

"Can you please help?" Gwen added. "It means so much to m-" She caught Trent's eye (figuratively) and quickly corrected herself.

"Us."

"I don't know, dude and dudette." Elder Geoff said. "Going upstairs-that's not natural, yo."

"Please, Elder Geoff?" Trent asked again. "There must be _something _you can do?" Finally, the old skeleton caved.

"Well, I can try." He said. "Now, where did I put that book?" He walked over to a bookshelf and pushed the books aside. Not finding what he was looking for, he walked over to a drawer and pulled it open, letting out a bunch of bats.

"It must be here _somewhere_." He said, tossing aside a bunch of books. Angus and Vampyra had to run off to avoid being squished as a book landed next to them. Finally, Elder Geoff found the book he was looking for.

"Ah, here it is!" He blew the dust off the cover before gathering the book, as well as a few bottles, and walking back up to his altar. He opened it, skimming through the pages with his nonexistent eyes.

"Found it!" he announced. Trent beamed in excitement.

"A Ukrainian haunting spell, just the thing for these quick trips!"

"Glad you thought of this." Trent whispered to Gwen.

"Me too." Gwen smiled, just glad that she was ever closer to leaving the Land of the Dead and getting away from her 'husband'. As they watched, Elder Geoff poured a few ingredients into a goblet, including a feather from a raven that was sitting on his altar. Once the elixir was done, he raised the goblet and...drank it. Of course, him being a skeleton, it just poured right through his ribcage, but that didn't seem to matter, as he let out a burp.

"Sorry dudes, had to quench my thirst. Now then, where were we?"

"Ukrainian haunting spell." Trent reminded him.

"Oh, right." Elder Geoff grabbed the raven from before and squeezed it until an egg popped out. As the (no doubt confused) creature flew off, Elder Geoff held up the egg.

"Here it is. Now, dudes, when you want to come back, just say the word 'Jacuzzi'. Got it?"

"Jacuzzi?" Trent asked while Gwen gave him a confused look.

"That's it." Elder Geoff confirmed. He held up the egg. "Ready?" He cracked the egg open, and a golden mist came out, surrounding Gwen and Trent. Before Gwen could blink, she found herself back in the forest where Trent had chased her. Trent looked up at the full moon above them, his eyes full of wonder.

"I spent so long in the darkness, I almost forgot how beautiful the moonlight is." He said quietly. He smiled to himself as a white moth, like the one Gwen had been sketching earlier, flew overhead. He went chasing after it like a little boy, only for his foot to get caught in the root of a tree and trip, his leg breaking off. LeShawna popped out of his ear.

"Don't look now, but I think you dropped something." she said snarkily. Trent reattached his skeleton leg and walked back over to Gwen. Despite herself, she couldn't help but smile a little at his childlike wonder and happiness. She put it out of her mind, however, as she said

"So, um, listen Trent? I think it would be better if I just go on ahead, to prepare my mother and father for the surprise. Just wait here, okay? I won't take long."

"Okay." Trent agreed. "I won't go anywhere." And with that, Gwen ran off, determined to leave him, and all the other dead people, far behind.

After a while, she reached the Libertines' mansion and brushed herself off, trying to make herself presentable. She was just about to knock on the door when she heard Alejandro's angry voice.

"If I _ever _see that Stoss girl again, I'll strangle her with my bare hands!"

"Her neck is too skinny." Heather cackled. "You'd need a rope." Gwen gasped. Obviously, going in through the front door was out of the question.

* * *

Back in the forest, Trent was still sitting on a stump, waiting for Gwen to return. Inside his head, the voice of LeShawna said

"Listen, Trent? This is the voice of your conscience. Now, when I say I have a bad feeling about that girl..." Irritated, Trent knocked the side of his head, causing LeShawna to fly out his ear and land in some snow.

"Go chew on someone else's ear for a while!" Trent pulled himself up, looking forward. "Gwen's just gone to see her parents for a while, like she said!" LeShawna snorted.

"If I hadn't just been sitting in it, I'd say that you'd lost your mind!"

"I'm sure she has a good reason for...taking so long." LeShawna snorted again.

"Okay then, why don't you go find the girl and ask her, then?"

"Alright then, I will." Trent said decisively, standing up.

"After all," LeShawna finished, "She couldn't have gotten far with those cold feet!"

* * *

Back at the Libertine mansion, Duncan was whittling to try and take his mind off his missing friend. Suddenly, there was a knock at his balcony door. He quickly whipped his head around to see none other than the girl herself. His eyes widened in surprise, and he left his whittling tools behind as he hurried over to the balcony.

"Gwen!" He opened the door and let her inside.

"Duncan!" A smile crossed her face. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Really?" Duncan asked. "Here I thought you'd gone running off with some strange man." Gwen didn't know whether or not she was imagining it, but she could've sworn she heard jealousy in his voice.

"No Duncan, it's not like that, I swear!" She said. "Look, it's been a crazy night..." Duncan then noticed the tears in her dress.

"What happened?" His eyes suddenly filled with fury. "Did that son of a bitch-"

"No, nothing happened!" Gwen put her hands on Duncan's shoulders to calm him down. "I'm alright, okay? I'm not hurt or anything!" Duncan relaxed a little, and Gwen walked over to the fire to warm up. Duncan sat across from her, and Gwen looked down at the floor.

"This morning, getting married was the _last _thing I wanted to do." She confessed. "And I just found it weird marrying you when, as far as our parents knew, we didn't even know each other." A small smile then crossed her face. "But...I really like you Duncan. A lot." She finally lifted her eyes to meet his.

"After all," she finished, "Who better to marry than your best friend?" Despite himself, Duncan gasped.

"I-I was worried about you when you ran off like that earlier, and then when you didn't come back." He admitted. "I've _never _cared about anyone else that much." He smiled himself, trying (and failing) to hide his glee as he shrugged.

"You know, maybe us being married won't be so bad after all." he said. Gwen felt her heart glow as she leaned forward to kiss Duncan and saw him do the same. Suddenly, her pupils shrank and her happiness was replaced with dread as she saw a familiar figure climbing over the balcony.

"Gwen?" Duncan asked. "Is something...?" Suddenly, the balcony door flew open, and Trent climbed into the room.

"Sorry!" He apologized to Gwen. "I just wanted to meet your-" He fixed his hat, which had fallen over his eyes, and fell silent upon seeing Duncan.

"Who's that?" he asked Gwen.

"Um, uh..." Gwen started as Trent went over to her side. Duncan's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the dead man in his room.

"Who, or _what _are you supposed to be?!" He demanded of Trent, wondering if he should get his knife.

"I'm her _husband_!" Trent boasted, showing off the wedding ring, **Duncan's **wedding ring, on his bony finger. Duncan looked from him to Gwen.

"Gwen?! You married a _dead guy_?!"

"It was an accident!" Gwen said, panicking again. "A mistake!" This had been the wrong thing to say. Trent's face grew dark, and he moved back out to the balcony.

"_**Jacuzzi**_." He grabbed Gwen's arm, and she found herself being pulled back into the Netherworld.

"No, no!" She looked desperately at Duncan, watching his figure grow smaller and smaller.

"DUNCAN!"

**A/N**: _Oh boy...Gwen's in for it now. Well, I hope you guys liked this extra-long chapter. Sorry for the bit with Duncan swearing, but I wanted to make him more in character in this chapter...not sure whether or not I succeeded. Well, leave a review anyway! _

_Geoff: (coming out of nowhere) Wait a second, why am I the old skeleton?_

_Me: Cause it's my story. Now get back in there!_


	10. The Fight

**Disclaimer**: _I don't own Corpse Bride or Total Drama. However, I DID come up with the idea to combine them, so there's that._

**Chapter Nine-The Fight**

Crows flew around Gwen's head, and in the blink of an eye, she found that she was back in Elder Geoff's tower in the Netherworld.

"You lied to me!" Trent accused her angrily. "Just to get back to that other man!"

"You don't understand!" Gwen said, trying to explain things once and for all. "_You're _the other man!" Naturally, Trent didn't get it, as he insisted

"No, _he's _the other man! You're married to _me_!"

Finally, Gwen couldn't take it anymore. She'd had a horrible night, going from a rehearsal for one wedding only to end up married to this..._thing_, being dragged into the Netherworld, having him chasing her all night, finally realizing her feelings for the man she truly loved only to be pulled forcibly away from him, and now her 'husband' was mad at her?!

"WELL, IT'S NOT LIKE I WANTED TO MARRY YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Gwen shouted. "I WAS PRACTICING MY VOWS FOR MY WEDDING TO THAT 'OTHER MAN', THE ONE I REALLY LOVE, AND HAD NO IDEA THAT THE STUPID ROOT I DECIDED TO PRACTICE ON WAS A DEAD MAN'S FINGER!" Trent gasped, and Gwen viciously continued

"YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT! LIKE I TOLD DUNCAN UP THERE, OUR SO-CALLED 'WEDDING' WAS AN ACCIDENT! A MISTAKE! WHY WOULD I, NO, SCRATCH THAT, _ANY GIRL _WANT TO MARRY A DEAD GUY IN THE FIRST PLACE?!" Trent's face fell, and Gwen knew immediately that she had gone too far. The poor guy actually looked like he wanted to cry.

"Trent..." Trent didn't say anything, and just walked past her, to the stairs, descending downwards. Gwen sighed miserably, not recalling a time when she'd ever felt guiltier.

* * *

Trent reached the bottom of the stairs and walked over to a bench shaped like a coffin, angrily throwing his hat at the side of the building as he did so. After seating himself, he took off the flower he had pinned to his wedding jacket. A rose. It had long wilted and decayed, like himself, but he still remembered how red and vibrant it had been on the night he was murdered by his fiancee; the _first _time he had his heart broken.

"So much for eternal love." He scoffed as Angus and Vampyra walked over, looking at him sadly. Noah came down from his web, genuine concern in his face as he looked at him.

"Why so blue?" He asked.

"Our wedding was a mistake." Trent sighed miserably. "Gwen doesn't even want anything to do with me. I guess I should've taken a hint after she kept running from me all night."

"Maybe you should have her head examined!" LeShawna said from inside his head. Trent pulled her out of his ear and looked at her questioningly. "I could do it!" The maggot offered.

"Maybe she _does _belong with him." Trent said, recalling Gwen's words from earlier. He then made a face. "Mister Living, with his healthy skin and beating heart!" Noah scoffed.

"Please, boys like that are ten a penny. You've got so much more! You've got...you've got..." he wracked his brain, trying to come up with something before finally saying the most overused, cliched statement in the book:

"...a wonderful personality!" Trent just glared at him.

"That's what people _always _say when they can't think of anything better." Noah grimaced. LeShawna then started singing

"What does that boy have that you don't have double?" Noah joined in

"He can't hold a candle to your smile!"

"How about a pulse?" Trent asked bitterly, finally putting LeShawna down.

"Overrated by a mile!" LeShawna assured him.

"Overvalued! Overblown!" LeShawna and Noah sang together. "If she only knew the you that we know!"

"And that silly little creature isn't wearing her ring!" Noah reminded Trent, holding up his bony finger to show him the wedding ring.

"And he doesn't play piano!" LeShawna added.

"Or dance, or sing!" The two parasites sang together. "No, he doesn't compare!"

"But he still breathes air..." Trent mused.

"Who cares?" LeShawna and Noah sang together.

"Unimportant!" LeShawna proclaimed, before singing with Noah again.

"Overrated! Overblown! If only she could see how special you can be; if she only knew the you that we know!" Trent stared sadly ahead before standing up and walking over to a wooden door while the others, including the lizards, watched with concern.

"If I touch a burning candle, I can feel no pain." The sad groom sang. "If you cut me with a knife, it's still the same. And I know his heart is beating, and I know that I am dead; yet the pain here that I feel, try and tell me it's not real, and it seems that I still have a tear to shed." He sank against the door morosely, and LeShawna and Noah joined him, Noah holding LeShawna in two of his front legs.

"The sole redeeming feature from that little creature is that he's alive!" LeShawna sang.

"Overrated!" Noah sang.

"Overblown!" LeShawna added.

"Everybody knows that's just a temporary state, which is cured very quickly when we meet our fate." Noah sang as Angus and Vampyra walked over to Trent, carrying his rose, which he had tossed aside like his hat.

"Who cares?!" LeShawna asked.

"Unimportant!" Noah said. He and LeShawna then sang together again.

"Overrated! Overblown! If only she could see how special you can be; if she only knew the you that we know!" Trent pulled down on LeShawna's tail, launching her and Noah away before getting up again and walking back over to the bench, sitting down on it.

"If I touch a burning candle, I can feel no pain." Trent sang again. "In the ice or sun, it's all the same. Yet I feel my heart is aching; though it doesn't beat, it's breaking, and the pain here that I feel, try and tell me it's not real." Trent laid down on the bench, crossing his arms over his chest, as his friends looked on helplessly.

"I know that I am dead; yet it seems I still have some tears to shed." As he finished his song, Trent let a single tear fall from his eye. He didn't even care if anyone saw him. Why should he, when he'd just had his heart broken by the girl he thought would save him from this miserable existence?

_Am I just not meant to love?_ He thought sadly. Below him, Noah and LeShawna looked at his spilled tear, disappointed that they hadn't been able to cheer their friend up.

**A/N**: _Yeah, so some of you probably hate Gwen now...but please don't be too hard on her. Or me! And, as always, review!_


	11. Duncan's Resolve

**Disclaimer**: _I own nothing_

**Warning: OOCness (again)**

**Chapter Ten-Duncan's Resolve and Lady Courtney's Evil Plan**

Duncan snuck quietly down the stairs, knife in hand. He was going to find that dead groom, and kill him again for taking Gwen from him. Okay, true, he didn't know where exactly he was, but he didn't care. He would go to the ends of the earth, if that was what it took to get his love back.

Finally, he made it to the first floor, and was just about to sneak out the door, when a familiar voice cut through his thoughts.

"And just where do you think _you're _sneaking off to?" Duncan whipped around. There, standing on the top of the steps, were his parents, as usual, identical looks of disdain on their faces. How hadn't he heard them?!

"I'm off to find Gwen." He stated simply.

"The Stoss girl?" Alejandro laughed bitterly. "You don't even know where she is!"

"Yes I do!" Duncan shot back before he could stop himself. "She was in my room just now!" His eyes suddenly widened as he realized his mistake.

_Oh crap._

"What?!" Heather said, genuinely surprised. "She was in your room?" She then suddenly changed her tone. "Is the little tramp still in there?" Duncan felt like shouting at his mother for calling the girl he loved a tramp, but he managed to restrain himself.

"No." He answered. "A dead man came in and took her away, and now I'm gonna find the guy and make sure he dies all over again." He ignored the glance his parents shared. Why should he care how crazy it sounded, or whether or not they believed him? They were idiots anyway. He reached out to open the door again, but Lightning came up behind him and grabbed the knife out of his hand.

"Hey!" Duncan protested.

"Sorry Duncan, but that's the craziest thing Lightning ever heard." The black man said.

"I couldn't agree more." Heather said. "Fetch him a straitjacket! He's gone completely mad!" Duncan lunged for his knife, but Lightning grabbed him in a headlock. Even though Duncan struggled to get free, Lightning was stronger than him, and the next thing Duncan knew he was being dragged up the stairs and tossed into his bedroom, though sans straitjacket, thankfully. Heather locked him in, and Duncan glared at the door.

"You can't do this!" He shouted angrily. "Gwen's still out there, and she's being held captive by that monster!" Nobody answered, and Duncan punched the wall, swearing internally. He then looked out to the balcony-and an idea came to him. He walked over and opened the balcony door, though it took a few tries. Next, he tied up his bedsheets to make a rope and tossed them over the side of the balcony. Despite himself, he couldn't help but smiled as he lowered himself to the ground. True, he was unarmed, but he'd find _something_ in time. He'd rip Trent apart with his bare hands, if it came to that. The sheet tore a little, and Duncan stopped just inches above his parents' window, where his father was staring out at the rainy weather.

"Alejandro! Come to bed at once!" Heather shouted. Alejandro mumbled a little before turning and walking away, and for once, Duncan was grateful for his mother's presence. The sheet then tore all the way, and Duncan landed on the ground. Thankfully, he was able to land on his feet, unhurt. Under the light of the moon, he ran away from his parents' lush mansion, and into the night.

* * *

After almost an hour, Duncan reached the church. He knocked on the door frantically, and Pastor Hatchet walked to the door in his nightshirt, a candle in his hand and a grumpy look on his face.

"What in heaven's name...who could that be at this hour?!" He opened the door, and was shocked to see a very soaked Duncan standing there.

"Mister Libertine, what are you doing here? You should be at home, prostrate with grief!"

"Prostrate with grief?" Duncan asked, raising his eyebrow. "Have you _met _me?! Look, I need your help..."

"This is most irregular." Pastor Hatchet said dryly, and started to close the door.

"No, come on, you're the only one who can help me!" Duncan wrenched the doors open and walked inside the church. "Look, you know about death and stuff, right?"

"A grim topic for a groom." Pastor Hatchet observed in surprise.

"It's a groom I'm worried about." Duncan said mysteriously. "Do you know how to get to the other side?"

"What on earth are you speaking about?!" Pastor Hatchet asked, trying to keep his voice calm, though Duncan could tell that he was disturbed by his remark.

"It's Gwen!" Duncan told him. "She's married a corpse! She has a corpse groom! I want to find some way to cross over into the netherworld and save her from him! Can you help me cross over, or not?!" His eyes were wild, and his hair disheveled, making him look rather like a wild animal. Finally, he caved.

"I believe I know what must be done. Come with me."

* * *

And that was how, later, Duncan found himself right back home, wrapped up in some sheets Pastor Hatchet had found in lieu of a straitjacket.

"Duncan?!" Heather asked in shock.

"He is speaking in tongues, of unholy alliances!" Pastor Hatchet said rather dramatically. "I fear his mind has come undone!"

"No!" Duncan shouted. "It's not true! Let me go!" Pastor Hatchet just pushed him forward, and Heather caught him.

"Thank you so much, Pastor Hatchet! Thank you!" The big man closed the door and left, and Heather turned to Justin and Lightning.

"Take him to his room!" She ordered.

"No!" Duncan said again, struggling violently as Justin and Lightning dragged him upstairs again. "Gwen needs me! I have to save her! She needs me! She needs my help!"

"Lock the doors!" Heather ordered. "Bar the windows! See to it that he doesn't escape again!"

"Let me go!" Duncan shouted futilely once more. "Let me go!" Heather turned away from the stairs, sighing.

"Will the mortifications never cease?!" Unseen to her, Lady Courtney was hiding behind the curtains, sinister smile in place.

"It'll be years before we can show ourselves in public again!" Heather continued, walking over to her husband. "Whatever shall we do?!"

"We shall continue as planned, with or without Gwen." Alejandro announced. Lady Courtney decided that was as good a time as any to make herself known, and walked out from behind the curtains.

"For that girl to toss aside a young man such as Duncan...it's positively criminal!" She said, putting a hand to her face like she wanted to cry. "Why, if I had a man like your son on my arm, I would lavish him with riches befitting royalty!"

"Your husband is a most fortunate man." Heather praised the younger woman.

"Alas, I am not married." Lady Courtney informed her. "I _was betrothed_ some years ago...but tragedy snatched my young groom away. When one lives alone, wealth counts for naught." She looked at the Libertines with a look of mock sadness, and the wheels started clicking in their heads as they shared a look.

* * *

In his room, Duncan tried to get his door open with a harpoon that his father had kept as a trophy. Before he could get another try, however, the door opened, and Duncan had to hide the harpoon behind his back as his parents walked into the room.

"Marvelous news, Duncan, there'll be a wedding after all." Alejandro told him.

"You found her?!" Duncan asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Make haste dear, our relatives will be arriving any moment." Heather added. "You must make yourself presentable for Lady Courtney." The harpoon fell from Duncan's hands.

"Lady Courtney?" he asked, trying to keep himself from snapping.

"She will make a fine wife." Heather assured him.

"Aye, a fortuitous turn of events indeed." Alejandro said, rather proud of himself.

"A _far _better prospect this time." Heather said decisively.

"But I don't like her!" Duncan said defiantly. "I won't do this!"

"We must." Alejandro said firmly.

"I won't." Duncan said, just as firmly.

"Without your marriage to Lady Courtney, we shall be forced penniless into the street!" Alejandro shouted at him. "We are destitute!"

"But..." Duncan didn't want to do this. He didn't want this so-called 'lady'. He wanted to be with the girl he loved. "Gwen..."

"Gwen Stoss is gone, boy!" Heather joined in.

"You shall marry Lady Courtney tomorrow, and that is that!" Alejandro finished. He and Heather walked out the door, then turned to face their son, who was even more broken than before.

"According to plan!" And with that final line, they slammed the door, walking down the hall, past the portraits of their ancestors. Lady Courtney watched them as they left, then turned around, chuckling evilly to herself as she walked up to the picture of Duncan.

"Oh my dear, don't look at me that way!" she said to the picture. "You only have to suffer this union until death do us part! And that will come sooner than you think." She walked off, satisfied that her dastardly plan was in action.

**A/N**: _Wow-it sucks to be Duncan in this chapter. And yes, I decided to change it a bit to have Duncan try and go after Trent in the beginning of the chapter, because I thought it was more in character for him. Well, as usual, review!_


	12. Reconciliation

**Disclaimer**: _Let me sing you the song of my people: I don't own Corpse Bride, oh no I don't! I don't own Total Drama, nosiree! I don't own nothing, golly gee! *Crickets chirp in the background* Shut up. I thought it was clever X(_

**Chapter Eleven-Reconciliation**

Outside of town, Chris and Blaineley were looking frantically for Gwen. Blaineley had even taken care to pin a poster of her daughter behind the carriage.

"It's almost dawn! Where could she be?!" She asked, torn between annoyance and worry. Beth, who was nearby, rang her bell, shouting

"Gwen Stoss elopes with corpse! Heartbroken groom to marry wealthy newcomer!"

"Wealthy newcomer?" Blaineley asked, trading a look with Chris. "It cannot be!"

"Did she say 'corpse'?" Chris asked nervously.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Blaineley chided. "What corpse would marry our Gwen?!" Outside, Ezekiel was coughing violently, hardly able to breathe in between coughing fits. Blaineley glared up at the roof.

"Ezekiel! Silence that blasted coughing!" She said for the second time that day, hitting the ceiling with her parasol.

Up on the roof, Ezekiel just kept coughing, then put a hand to his chest, letting out a final gasp. Finally, the pneumonia that he had been fighting all this time claimed him, and he fell off the carriage, tumbling roughly to the ground as his life faded from him.

"Are you trying to kill us?!" Blaineley asked from inside. "Chris, I think he's trying to kill us!" And with that, she and her husband were carried off on an untended carriage, blissfully unaware that their coachman was no longer in the land of the living.

* * *

On the other side, Gwen walked up to the Ball and Socket, the ritzy nightclub she had woken up in after being spirited away to the Netherworld. She looked down at Angus and Vampyra, who were working together to carry Trent's rose. She felt really bad after her argument with Trent. Even though she didn't love him, like she said, she _did _feel sorry for him, especially after hearing how he died.

_Being murdered on his wedding night-what a horrible way to die. _Gwen took the rose from her dead pets and walked inside. Trent was sitting at the piano, morosely playing a tune. Gwen walked down the stairs, and walked up to the corpse.

"I, um, think you dropped this." Gwen held the rose out to Trent, but he just ignored her and kept on playing. Gwen just set the dead flower down on the keys and sat down on the bench, sighing.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I'm sorry I lied to you, and I'm sorry about what I said. It's just that, this whole day-nothing has gone according to plan." Gwen inwardly cringed as she realized how much she sounded like her parents.

_Somewhere, the karma gods are laughing at me._ Instinctively, she reached out and tapped a few keys on the piano. Trent glared at her out of the corner of his eye, and Gwen stopped, drawing her hand back. Trent started playing again, and once he was done, Gwen started playing again. They went on like this for a little while, then Gwen started playing a lively, upbeat tune on the piano. Despite himself, Trent raised an eyebrow, smirking at her as they started playing a duet together. Gwen smiled a little. She was getting through to him! Trent's skeleton hand suddenly detached from his wrist and crawled over the keys and over Gwen's arm.

"Pardon my enthusiasm." Trent laughed.

"I don't mind your enthusiasm." Gwen said honestly, grabbing his hand off her shoulder and attaching it back onto his wrist.

Suddenly, the moment was interrupted by the ringing of a bell.

"New arrival! New arrival!" DJ shouted, pushing through the door. Several of the other corpses followed him, all of them really excited about something.

"Out of the way, out of the way!" Lindsay the Head Waitress said as she scuttled along on the bar. She turned to Sam.

"A pint for you?" she asked. Sam split himself in half again and both halves said at the same time

"Nah, just a half." Some cockroaches accidentally ran into her, knocking her over.

"Ah! It's just so hard to get good help these days!"

"Coming through, coming through!" DJ pushed his way through the crowd to greet the newcomer. "Nice to meet you. I'm DJ." Gwen turned around to see the new arrival, and her eyes widened as she recognized him.

"Ezekiel? Ezekiel!" She stood up and started to run over to see him. "It's so great to s-" Ezekiel turned around, and Gwen stopped as she saw that he was the same shade of blue as Trent and the other corpses.

"I'm so sorry." She said, instantly realizing that he was dead.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Ezekiel said. "I feel great, eh." Despite the fact that he didn't technically have to breathe anymore, he took a deep breath, happy that he didn't have to suffer from pneumonia anymore. Lindsay got her cockroaches to give Ezekiel a drink, and Gwen told him

"I have to get back. Duncan must be worried sick about me. And even my parents must be missing me. How are they?"

"As far as I know, your parents are still looking for you." Ezekiel said, taking a sip of his drink. "Mister Duncan, on the other hand..." He looked off to the side awkwardly, and Gwen knew that something bad was coming up.

"Yes?" she asked hesitantly.

"He's getting married tomorrow."

"What?" Gwen said.

"Yeah." Ezekiel said. "To some Lady. Guess they didn't want to waste the cake."

"But...I don't understand." Gwen said, feeling her heart breaking at the thought of her one true love marrying someone else. "How could he? I thought we-" Despite herself, Gwen could feel her eyes welling up with tears. She walked out of the club so that nobody would see her crying.

"Gwen? Where are you going?" Trent asked her from the piano. Gwen ignored him. The only man she had ever loved was marrying someone else, after all they had been through together, after she confessed her love for him. As she walked out the door, Gwen thought darkly that maybe she now had something in common with Trent in that regard.

**A/N**: _Wow-life gets harder and harder for everyone. Or, afterlife, in Trent's case. Reviewers get early Halloween candy, so keep em coming!_


	13. The Wine of Ages

**Disclaimer**: _I own nothing._

**Chapter Twelve-The Wine Of Ages**

Duncan stared at his reflection with a combination of anger and sadness. In just a few minutes, he would be getting married. The only problem was that it wasn't to the girl he loved.

"We should leave for the church now." Lightning informed him, putting a top hat on his head.

"I still can't believe I'm going through with this." Duncan said. "Gwen was the only girl I ever really loved, and here I am, getting married off to some lady 'according to plan'!" He couldn't resist putting finger quotes around the phrase, and Lightning just looked at him sympathetically. This wasn't like Duncan at all. He was obviously angry, but after everything that had happened to him the previous night, he was too broken to fight back against his parents' wishes.

Lightning put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, bra, it'll be okay." Neither one of them believed that, but neither of them said anything as they left.

* * *

"With this candle, I will light your way in darkness!" Lady Courtney spoke her vows flawlessly, turning to look at her future father-in-law in the pews, who cleared his throat and motioned towards his pocket watch. Lady Courtney then turned back to Duncan.

"With this ring, I ask you to be mine!" She placed the ring on Duncan's finger while he just stared blankly at the floor, not making any indication that he was even aware of anything that was going on.

"I now pronounce you man and wife!" Pastor Hatchet said, sealing the holy, or rather _un_holy union as Lightning just looked on in concern from the back row.

* * *

In the Netherworld, Gwen was just as miserable as Duncan, if not more so. She sat in one of the empty coffins, blinking tears out of her eyes as she looked down at the flower Duncan had given her. Gwen wasn't normally one for crying, but she felt like her heart had just been ripped out.

"I'm too late." she sobbed.

_Then again though, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, Duncan IS a rebel, after all. _NO. She remembered the sincerity in Duncan's voice, in his face, as he confessed his love for her. He said that she was the only girl he had ever really loved.

_But what if he was faking it? Gah! I'm so confused!_ Gwen dropped the flower to the ground and put her hands to her head, letting more tears run down her face. Just then, she heard Trent's voice as he was talking to DJ.

"DJ, what do I do? She just walked out without saying a word!" Gwen wiped away her tears and walked up to the door, peeking inside.

"Women, who can figure em?" DJ said with a shrug. "Always got something in their heads." As he said this, he pulled out a knife that had somehow gotten stuck in Eva's head and walked off to chop some vegetables.

At that moment, Elder Geoff walked in with his big book.

"Yo, Trent, I'm afraid I've got some bad news." he said.

"Can I tell him?!" LeShawna asked from in between the pages, a bit too excited.

"Bad news?" Trent asked worriedly.

"I'm afraid there's a bit of a problem with your marriage to that Gwen chick." Elder Geoff said. "See, the vows say that you're bound together until death do you part, right?"

"Right?" Trent answered, not liking where this was going.

"Well dude, you're dead." Elder Geoff pointed out. "Death has already parted you." Trent gasped as he realized that he was right. So he was never really married to Gwen!

"If she finds out, she'll leave!" he said, panicked. "Isn't there something you can do?!"

"There is _one _way..." Elder Geoff said nervously. "But it requires a great sacrifice."

"We have to kill her!" LeShawna piped up.

"What?!" Trent asked in shock. Outside, Gwen gasped in horror.

"Gwen would have to give up the life she had before." Elder Geoff explained, thumbing through the book. "She would have to repeat her vows in the Land Of the Living, and drink the Wine Of Ages."

"Poison!" Trent gasped under his breath.

"This will stop her heart forever." Elder Geoff said, walking up to him. "Only then would she be free to give it to you."

"I couldn't ask her to kill herself!" Trent blurted out, obviously mortified by the thought.

Suddenly, Gwen came to an epiphany. What did she have to live for? The man she loved was married to someone else. Even if she _did _manage to see him again, he wasn't hers anymore. Plus, death couldn't be so bad. A lot of the corpses and skeletons she'd seen since coming to the Netherworld were all really happy, despite being dead. Everything was so bouncy and fun. The Netherworld was actually more lively than the Land of the Living. And, if Ezekiel was any indication, she wouldn't ever get sick or feel pain anymore. So with that in mind, she stepped into the bar.

"You don't have to." she said morosely, stepping up to Trent. "I'll do it."

"Dudette, if you choose this path, there's no going back." Elder Geoff cautioned her. "You can't ever go back to your old life." Despite herself, Gwen chuckled darkly.

"It's not like I had much of a life anyway." She took Trent's hand and looked into his eyes. She then repeated his words from the previous night.

"I do."

**A/N**: _Well, Gwen's lost her will to live. Boy, is this a happy story or what?_

_Gwen: This is because I'm goth, isn't it?_

_Me: Nope, that's just the way the story goes, Gwen. Does anyone else have any problems with their character roles?_

_Courtney: Um, yeah! Why am **I **the bad guy?!_

_Me: Because I don't like you._

_Courtney: *Gasps* That's not possible! Everyone likes me! I used to be a-!_

_Me: Yes yes, we've all heard that spiel before. *To Duncan* Honestly, how DID you put up with her? *To readers* Hey, the rest of you! Leave reviews!_


	14. Getting Ready For a Wedding

**A/N**: _I just wanted to take this moment to apologize in advance for this chapter. Despite my best efforts, I wasn't able to get all of the song-it's different when a lot of people are singing together. This chapter just seems...lacking to me. But I swear the next chapter will be better...please don't be too hard on me!_

**Disclaimer**: _I'm a broke college student who can barely afford change to do her laundry every week. Do you honestly think I own ANYTHING?!__  
_

**Chapter Thirteen-Getting Ready for a Wedding**

Gwen stood in the town square, trying to call a meeting of the dead.

"Gather round everybody, gather round!" She called out. For the first time since she had arrived in the Netherworld, Gwen wasn't scared of them. Everyone was pretty nice, despite being dead; way nicer than anyone Gwen had known in the Land of the Living, except maybe Duncan. Plus, she was going to be one of them soon, she figured she might as well get used to everyone.

"Gather round, everybody!" Gwen called out again. When she was sure she had gotten everyone's attention, she announced

"Trent and I have decided to get this whole thing done properly, have an official wedding ceremony. So get your stuff together, because we're going upstairs!" She pointed up, and a short bespectacled male corpse with dark blue skin said

"Upstairs? I didn't know we had an upstairs!" The black-pigtailed skeleton girl, Katie, turned to a wider skeleton beside her, who had the same hairstyle and clothes as her.

"Sounds creepy!"

"Let's go!" Her friend, Sadie said excitedly, and the two squealed happily before running off to get ready, Angus and Vampyra behind them. The other corpses and skeletons likewise walked off to get ready, singing

"A wedding! A wedding! We're going to have a wedding! A wedding! A wedding! We're going to have a wedding!" Gwen hopped off the cornerstone and started to walk off too, but Noah dangled next to her from a thread.

"Hold on. You can't get married looking like _that_." He looked at her clothes disdainfully before letting out a whistle. More spiders came down and started using their web to stitch up the tears in Gwen's dress. When they were done, Gwen looked herself up and down. The dress was as good as new. The spiders had even made her a veil out of some of their web, and left a web pattern on her dress to make it look more like a proper wedding gown.

* * *

Elsewhere, DJ was preparing the wedding cake.

"A wedding cake is no mistake, it must be quite sublime!" He sang.

"It's missing something." Tyler pointed out.

"Throw some dash." Eva suggested, tossing some green stuff into the batter.

"I wish I had more time!" DJ sang.

"Perhaps there's something I can do, these bones might help a bit." Tyler picked up some bones that were lying next to him and accidentally hit Eva upside the head, knocking her nose into the batter.

"Hey!" DJ tried some of the batter and came to an epiphany.

"That's it!"

"A little this!"

"A little that!"

"A wedding! A wedding! We're going to have a wedding!" All three of them sang together.

* * *

Back in the town square, Harold sat atop his skeletal horse.

"Huzzah! Huzzah! We're going to have a wedding!" Down on the ground, Cody was leading some other skeletons forward like a general, one of them accidentally bumping into him. Gwen sat in a rowboat with some of the dead, watching with a smile as they all sang and prepared for the wedding, and for their trip upstairs. Harold and Cody pulled her out of the boat and stood on either side of her, linking their arms through hers.

"Huzzah! Huzzah! The groom is getting married today!"

"Oh, there he is!" A skeleton said.

"Here he comes!" Gwen turned and looked with the others. Indeed, Trent was descending down the stairs, and, even though he was still dead and rotting like everyone else, Gwen couldn't help but think that he looked handsome. He held a bouquet of dead flowers, and, as he came down, everyone started singing again.

"Ooh, look now, the groom is here! He's waited for this day for many a year!" Lindsay kept jumping futilely to try and see him, and Ezekiel grabbed and held her up, helping her out. LeShawna burst into tears as she saw him, dabbing at her eyes with a tiny hankie. Trent gave the bouquet to Gwen with a smile, and she accepted it, resisting the urge to take a whiff. As DJ finished up the cake, everyone started packing, getting their shoes (and skulls) shined, and soon a procession started, singing all the way while LeShawna tried not to get stepped on.

"Hey, watch it!" she shouted up to everyone. "Maid of Honor here!" Luckily for her, Noah reached down and snatched her out of harm's way as DJ and the other chefs came through with a huge wedding cake, the icing decorated to look like bones.

At the front of the procession, Trent looked at Gwen, a happy smile still on his face. He didn't care that she was wearing black instead of the traditional white. It suited her. In just an hour or two, she was going to officially be his wife, and this time, she had willingly agreed to it. He couldn't recall a time when he'd ever been happier.

**A/N**: _Not much to say here except...review! Even if it's just to tell me what a crappy author I am!_


	15. The Living Meet the Dead

**Disclaimer**: _I own nothing_

**Chapter Fourteen-The Living Meet the Dead**

Lightning brought the (very small) wedding cake into the dining room, setting it down on the table in front of the Libertines and their extended family, who had all come out for Duncan's wedding. Lady Courtney sat at the head of the table looking pleased, but she was the only one. Duncan was still shell-shocked, his parents cast their usual dour looks at each other and the guests, and the guests themselves were bored out of their minds, with one old man asleep at the table. All in all, not what you'd expect from a wedding reception.

Nonetheless, Lady Courtney stood up, tapping her fork against her wine glass like there had been a lot of chatter going on.

"Quiet down, everyone! Quiet down!" she requested. Everyone just stared boredly at her, and Lady Courtney took that as a cue to continue.

"Thank you!" Clearing her throat, she began "Elegant. Cultured. _Radiant_. Duncan has found a wife with all these qualities and more. Serendipity brought us together, and no force on earth could tear us apart!"

Immediately after she said this, green fire roared to life in the fireplace behind her and Duncan, snapping the groom out of his stupor. The guests looked around nervously, not knowing what to expect.

Suddenly, several skeletons, including Izzy, came up behind Alejandro and Heather, much to the horror of the people sitting across from them. One of Izzy's eyes then fell into Alejandro's soup bowl, and the Latino fished it out with his spoon.

"There's an eye in my soup." He announced as calmly as if he were talking about the weather. A woman screamed, and everything went to hell. The guests got up and started running off in panic, flipping the table over as they did.

"Sorry!" Cody apologized to a woman he accidentally scared just by standing near her.

Lady Courtney gasped in horror as she saw all of the madness going on around her. Pushing Duncan out of the way, she moved to hide under the table, not even caring that she was getting her wedding gown dirty. Heather stood on her chair as Angus and Vampyra's skeletons crawled up to her, which proved to be a moot point as they started to climb up the chair's legs. As she let out a shriek, Alejandro called out, for the second time,

"Fetch me my musket!"

"Right away, sir!" Justin said as he put a cap on and hurried out the door as fast as he could.

"Coming through, coming through!" Lindsay called as she crawled through a large blond guy's legs, followed by some of her cockroaches. Under the table, Courtney dared to peek through her fingers. She immediately regretted it as she saw Katie and Sadie giggling next to her. Outside, LeShawna had crawled onto a man's shoulder.

"Hey, you don't know me, but I used to live in your dead daddy." As the man panicked and started to run away, the large blond man from before, Owen, ran off screaming as Izzy chased him.

"Come back! I love a man with meat on his bones!" The red-headed skeleton laughed crazily to herself.

Alejandro and Heather, meanwhile, had somehow managed to get away from everything, and were standing in the middle of the stairs.

"How did this happen?!" Heather demanded. "What are a bunch of _dead people _doing in our home?!" She glared at her husband. "They must be from _your_ side of the family!"

"Don't be crazy, woman!" Alejandro countered. He looked back down at the chaos and bit his lower lip. "If my grandfather Libertine could see this, he would be turning in his grave!"

"_Alejandro_!" Both Alejandro and Heather froze at the sound of the voice. They turned around slowly to see Alejandro's grandfather, now a skeleton, standing next to a portrait of his living self.

"Where do you keep the spirits?" Both Alejandro and Heather ran off, screaming, to their room.

The dead soon made their way out of the mansion and started filling the streets. This didn't go unnoticed, largely in part thanks to Beth, who announced

"In other news...THE DEAD WALK THE EARTH!" Needless to say, everyone started screaming and panicking. Some of the fish merchants working for Gwen's parents armed themselves with their butcher knives, ready to defend themselves against the undead. In another part of the street, a woman with an athletic build and dirty-blonde hair held up an old broom handle to try and defend herself as well.

"Get back! All of you! I'm warning you!" The townspeople looked on in fear, scared for their lives. Would they, too, become part of this horrific army soon? Suddenly, one little boy recognized one of the corpses. He walked forward, ignoring his mother's cry of protest. The crowd gasped in unison as the corpse picked the boy up, still moaning. The little boy, however, just asked in wide-eyed wonder;

"Grandpa?" The corpse hugged his still-living grandson, and the crowd's fear vanished as they let out a chorus of

"Aww!"

"Bounder!" The blonde woman from before shouted as she hit one of the skeletons with her broom handle.

"Sweetheart!" the skeleton answered.

"Monster!"

"Buttercup!"

"Cad!"

"JO!" The woman's eyes widened in surprise as she suddenly recognized the skeleton.

"Brick? But...you've been dead for ten years!" Brick took his wife in a swan dip, saying

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." All around them, other people were likewise reuniting with dead loved ones. Ezekiel got to see his old coworkers again, even Angus and Vampyra found other lizards. The townspeople saw the corpses for what they really were. They weren't monsters, they were people just like them, only dead. They weren't going to hurt anyone. And thus, the shortest human-zombie struggle in history came to an end.


	16. Fate Intervened

**Disclaimer**: _I don't own Corpse Bride or Total Drama, people. Would I honestly be writing a fanfiction if I did?_

**Chapter Fifteen-Fate Intervened**

Duncan sat in his place at the table, just beginning to register everything that had happened. Lack of sleep plus his initial shock at losing his girl and getting married to another woman against his will had taken its toll on him. Even though he was dressed in a wedding tuxedo and put together he looked terrible-his skin was paler than Gwen's and he had dark shadows under his eyes. He had barely been conscious at his own wedding, and, ironically, the appearance of the dead at his reception made him feel alive again.

Next to him, Lady Courtney came from under the table, looking frazzled and scared. Even though she was obviously terrified by what had just transpired, she tried to keep her composure as she said

"Right, that's it! We're going to take whatever money we can, and get out of here!"

"Money?" Duncan asked in surprise. "What money?"

"Your dowry, of course!" Lady Courtney blurted out. "It's my right!"

It was then that everything suddenly made sense to Duncan. A random stranger shows up, makes nice with his parents, and then expresses a desire to marry him when his former fiancee disappears? A smirk crossed his face.

"Hate to break it to you princess, but I don't have any money. That's my parents wanted me to marry you in the first place-to keep us out of the poor house."

"POOR HOUSE?!" Lady Courtney shouted in disbelief. She pulled Duncan out of his seat and started shaking him violently. "You're lying! Tell me it isn't true! It's a lie!" Duncan smirked.

"What's the matter your Ladyship, things not go 'according to plan'?" Duncan pulled the tan woman off himself and finished

"Well, looks like we have something in common after all-we're both disappointed in each other." And with that, he ran out the door, leaving Lady Courtney to stew in her bitterness.

Once Duncan got out the door, he was greeted with quite an unusual sight-the living and the dead were getting along swimmingly. Brick and Jo walked along arm in arm, Lindsay scurried off on her entrails to avoid Angus and Vampyra, and DJ and the other chefs were carrying the large wedding cake. And all of them were headed to the church.

_Gwen might be in there!_

Grabbing his knife, which he had been storing in his boot just in case, Duncan followed the crowd of the dead. Once they were at the church, Pastor Hatchet started trying to repel them.

"Begone, ye demons from hell! Back to the void from whence you came! You shall not enter here! Back! Back!"

"Keep it down, we're in a church." One of the corpses informed him. Pastor Hatchet stood stupefied as the crowd just casually walked into the church, not minding him at all. One skeleton was even so bold as to knock his cane out of his hands.

Inside the church, Trent stood at the altar before Elder Geoff as a wedding march played. Everyone's heads turned as Gwen walked down the aisle, Katie and Sadie acting as her flower girls. Gwen looked around at all the rotting and bony faces around her. As a little girl, she never would have dreamed that her wedding would be attended by a flock of dead people, or that she would be marrying one of the dead. Or that, during the ceremony, she would become one of the dead herself.

_Too late to turn back now._ Trent took her hand, helping her up as they stood before Elder Geoff.

"Dearly beloved-and departed, we are gathered here today to join in marriage this woman and this corpse." As this was going on, Duncan made his way to the church, knife in hand. The second he saw that 'corpse groom', he would cut him into pieces. He'd even die himself, if that was what it took to get Gwen back. His worst fears were realized right away.

"Gwen?!" He gasped as he saw her standing at the altar with Trent, looking perfectly calm, as if this what she wanted. A skeleton motioned for him to be quiet, and Elder Geoff turned to Gwen.

"Living first." Gwen and Trent turned to each other.

"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows." Gwen said perfectly, lifting her right hand. "Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine." She raised the empty goblet. Elder Geoff looked at Trent.

"Now you." Trent just stared into Gwen's beautiful eyes for a moment, almost feeling his heart beating again. After all this time, his dream was really about to come true.

"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows." With his skeletal hand, he reached out and grabbed the bottle containing the Wine of Ages. He started pouring the poison into Gwen's goblet as he continued "Your cup will never empty, for I will be..." He then stopped suddenly as he saw Duncan watching them from behind a pillar. For a moment, just a moment, his face was full of rage...and then, it faded, to be replaced by defeat. His knife slipped from his hands. He didn't even try to pick it up.

"I will be..." Everyone stared at Trent with bated breath, so to speak, as they waited for him to continue.

"Go on, dude." Elder Geoff encouraged him. Trent tried again.

"Your cup-will never empty, for I will be..."

"I will be your wine." Gwen said helpfully. She raised the goblet to take a drink, and finally, Trent couldn't take it anymore. How could he let Gwen take her own life while the man she loved was watching? Duncan loved Gwen, and, from what she had told him during their fight, she loved him back. He wouldn't allow another man to lose his love just for his own happiness. He lowered the goblet before Gwen could drink the poison. A couple of people in the pews gasped.

"He's having second thoughts." Brick whispered to Jo.

"I can't." Trent said in a broken voice.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked in concern. She started to turn her head to look behind her, but Trent turned her back around to face him.

"_This_ is wrong." Trent said, his face full of sadness and remorse. "I was a groom once. My dreams were taken from me. And now I-I've stolen them from someone else." He fought back the urge to cry as he said "I love you, Gwen. But you are not mine." He motioned towards the pillar, and Gwen followed his arm to see Duncan watching them.

"Duncan!" Gwen gasped, hardly daring to believe it. Duncan walked towards them, looking contented, and not like he was ready to fight Trent to the death.

"Wow." Izzy said next to Lightning. "Plot twist!" Trent took Duncan's hand and joined it with Gwen's. He didn't care that he wasn't going to get the girl, he'd die again if it meant that she could be happy with the man she truly loved. The beautiful moment was suddenly interrupted by a sinister voice saying

"Aw, how touching!"

**A/N**: _Yeah-you guys probably know who that is already. I actually would've written more, but it was getting late and I was getting sleepy. Next chapter is the last one, so be kind and leave me plenty of reviews!_


	17. Courtney vs Gwen

**Disclaimer**: _If I owned Total Drama, Gwuncan would've been canon from the beginning. If I owned Corpse Bride...well, I can't think of anything I'd do different._

**Chapter Sixteen-Gwen vs. Courtney **

Everyone gasped and turned to the church door. Lady Courtney stepped inside, a sour look on her face like she'd smelled something foul (which, to be fair, she probably did, with all the dead people in there). She wiped a nonexistent tear from her eye.

"I always cry at weddings!" She then turned an evil look on Duncan and Gwen. "Ah, young lovers together at last. Surely now, they can live happily ever after!" She walked up to the altar.

"But you forget-he's still my husband!" Grabbing Duncan's arm, Courtney dragged him roughly away from Gwen.

"Get your hands off me!" Duncan said indignantly. Lady Courtney ignored him, glaring at Gwen.

"I will not be leaving here empty-handed!" Trent's eyes widened as he suddenly recognized her.

"You!" Courtney stared at him for about a second before recognizing him as well.

"Trent?"

"You!" Trent glared at her.

"But-I left you!" Lady Courtney said in surprise.

"For dead!" Trent said the words quietly, but it was loud enough so that everyone could still hear him. Everyone gasped in shock, Brick's lower jaw actually falling off as he did.

"This man is obviously delusional!" Lady Courtney insisted as everyone started to get angry. Nobody bought it. They all rose from their seats, filled with a newfound hatred for the woman they now knew murdered their beloved corpse groom, causing him such heartbreak and unhappiness. Lady Courtney started to back away, dragging Duncan along with her as the furious corpses surrounded her. Desperate, Lady Courtney grabbed Cody's sword and, unlike Gwen earlier, she was actually successful in pulling it out. She pointed it under Duncan's chin and said

"Sorry to cut things short, but we must be on our way!"

"Take your hands off him, you _bitch_." Gwen growled, stepping down from the altar and walking towards her. This evil woman had killed Trent, she wasn't about to just stand by and let her do the same thing to Duncan. Lady Courtney just stared at Gwen with a deadpan expression.

"Do I have to kill you too?" Raising the sword, she was just about to run Gwen through, when she suddenly felt something biting her leg. Or, rather, two somethings. Angus and Vampyra had crawled up her dress, and were biting her leg with their little lizard teeth. Lady Courtney let out a cry of pain and shook them off. Duncan took that opportunity to run to safety as DJ pulled a utensil out of Eva's back.

"Gwen, catch!" Gwen caught the item...which turned out to be a fork. She shot DJ a look of 'Really?', and he just shrugged.

"Sorry."

"Here Gwen, take mine!" Duncan suggested, handing his own knife over to Gwen. She gladly discarded the fork and took the knife as Lady Courtney lunged towards her with a wild cry. Having never used a weapon before, Gwen wasn't as good as Courtney, but she managed to avoid every one of her swings, and even got in a good jab in her butt.

"OW!" Lindsay had to jump off her plate to avoid getting sliced in half, letting out a cry of

"Eep!" as part of Tyler's chef hat fell to the floor. Courtney kept slicing at Gwen, who accidentally backed up against Sam.

"Hey, that's not playing fair!" Both girls ignored him and Courtney just barely missed cutting Gwen, slicing a bench instead. Gwen, on the other hand, finally managed to get a cut on Courtney, ripping a part of her dress. It wasn't deep enough to be fatal, but just deep enough so that it was bleeding. Courtney let out another furious cry and attacked Gwen again, but she managed to block it with her knife and rolled out of the way of harm. Seizing the opportunity, she stabbed Lady Courtney in the foot, and she let out a pained scream, accidentally knocking over some of the benches. Trent helpfully moved Duncan out of the way, though he just glowered.

"I should be out there!" he protested. "I can help her!"

"As much as I'd love to get back at Courtney, this is something Gwen has to do on her own." Trent said wisely. "Besides, you'd just get in her way." Immediately after he said this, however, Lady Courtney managed to knock Duncan's knife out of Gwen's hand and kicked her down. Gwen fell to the floor, and Lady Courtney pointed the tip of her sword at her, absolute hatred on her face. Everyone gasped in shock and horror. Gwen just glared up at Courtney. If this was how she was going to die, protecting the man she loved, then so be it. She was a better woman than Courtney. Courtney lowered the sword, and everyone gasped again. Gwen couldn't breathe. She just stared up in shock-at Trent, who came in at the last minute to protect her. Of course, being dead, it couldn't hurt him. Glaring at Courtney, he pulled the sword out slowly, deliberately, and pointed it at her.

"Touche, my dear." Lady Courtney said, regaining her composure all of a sudden.

"Get out." Trent spat venomously. Lady Courtney just laughed as she walked up to the altar, and Gwen held protectively onto Duncan as he came to her side.

"Oh, I'm leaving." Lady Courtney said, her gaze never once leaving her former groom. "But first, a toast to Trent! Always the groomsman, never the groom!" She raised the chalice which held the Wine of Ages and raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, my dear, can a heart still break after it's stopped beating? Hmm?" She was delighted to see a little bit of sadness fill Trent's eyes.

"Oh, that is it!" LeShawna said. "Let me at her! Let me at her!"

"Wait!" Elder Geoff said, holding out a bony finger to stop her, all the other dead people behind him, all of them eager to make Courtney hurt as much as she had hurt Trent. "We gotta abide by their rules, yo! We're among the living!"

"Well said." Courtney said. With one final smirk, she unwittingly drained the goblet, then tossed it aside before casually strolling to the door to make her exit. As she reached the door, however, the poison started to take effect. Courtney let out a few pained gasps, falling against the door as she felt her heart stop. LeShawna smirked evilly as she realized what this meant.

"Not anymore..." Courtney whipped her head around, showing that she had turned blue, like Trent, Ezekiel, and the other corpses. She was a corpse now, too, dead as dust. Elder Geoff smirked.

"All yours." The army of the dead made their way to the now dead woman, blood in their eyes. Cody, who had gotten his sword back, ran a finger down it meaningfully, as Courtney tried futilely to escape, unable to even speak anymore. Trent, Gwen, and Duncan watched in a combination of shock and horror as they dragged her outside, DJ closing the door while quietly saying

"New arrival." Despite herself, Gwen shuddered. She didn't think that they could be so malevolent. Though part of her knew that she wanted to do the same thing. Elder Geoff replaced the stopper on the wine bottle as Duncan turned happily to Gwen.

"Never thought I'd see you again, pasty." He breathed into her hair. "I'd pick you over that 'lady' a hundred times over." Trent smiled happily at them. He may not have been able to get the girl he loved, but at least one groom was going to get the happy ending he deserved. Gwen watched as he walked up to the altar.

"Wait! I made a promise!" Trent turned to smile at her, and Gwen wasn't sure whether or not it was her imagination, but the corpse seemed to be glowing as he said

"You kept your promise. You set me free. Now I can do the same for you." He took off Gwen's wedding ring, the one she had accidentally placed on his finger, and placed it into her hand, closing her fingers around it. He stepped into the moonlight, removing and tossing aside the rose pinned to his jacket. Duncan caught it, and he and Gwen looked at it. It was wilted, but it was beautiful in its own way, like Trent. Even though Gwen didn't love him, he had left an impact on her. She knew that she would never forget him. Trent smiled at them one last time before stepping into the moonlight and, letting out a breath, turned into a bunch of white moths that flew away into the night sky. Gwen and Duncan ran out to watch them fly away. Gwen smiled, putting an arm around Duncan. Trent's soul was finally free. By bringing them together, he had managed to save himself and was now free to enjoy eternal paradise in heaven instead of staying a rotting corpse.

_Goodbye, Trent. Thank you for everything._

**A/N**: _I always did think the ending was beautiful :') Well, it's over. Thanks for reading!_


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